Ch. 11
A/N: Thank you as always for the reviews, I love hearing your reactions, they keep me going. I'm giving up on trying to control the length of these chapters they just keep growing. So, I'm not evil, evil would be writing out the kiss and then purposefully ending the chapter...alright I'm a little evil...
Holly paused in front of the blonde, with a delicate smile on her lips as she softly said "goose". She lowered herself onto the blonde's lap, straddling her legs. Gail's hands instinctively slid up the side of the brunette's toned thighs, not that she could help it it was just a reflex. She couldn't control the natural reaction to touch the person in her lap, right?
Holly's hand tenderly traced Gail's jawline before tilting the blonde's face upward.
"Nerd, what are you-" But Gail's question was cut-off by the firm press of Holly's lips against her own.
Gail's eyes fluttered closed as the same spark she always felt when she touched the brunette started at her lips and spread through her whole body. The pale fingers flexed, digging slightly into the strong muscles covered by very tight jeans resting around her. Gail's mind short-circuited for a moment and she was only aware of the buzzing in her ears and the softness of Holly's lips. Gail had just begun to kiss the brunette back when she felt Holly pull back. The brunette lifted herself off of her lap, putting a safe amount of distance between them. It took a moment before Gail's eyes opened again and she could focus on the other girl. When she did, Gail noticed the light blush on the tanner girl's cheeks and her eyes seem to be searching the blonde's face for something, before her crooked smile appeared. She didn't say anything as she returned to her seat on the side of Gail, as the room erupted.
Gail had forgotten she was in a bar surrounded by her housemates and neighbors, but was rudely reminded as she heard their cheers and taunting.
"Whoa Peck, now we know how you look when you've been out in the sun too long," Sammy called out the blush that had overtaken Gail's entire body. Damn that pale skin!
"Don't be jealous that I'm hotter than you, Swarek." Gail called back trying to muster some of her usual swagger, but it felt forced. That simple kiss had completely thrown her off. She glanced around the circle and saw the smug, knowing look on Frankie's face, the disappointment and confusion etched on poor Chris', and the indignant one on Nick's, her ex looked like he was going to burst a blood vessel.
She suddenly felt extremely overwhelmed and cleared her throat, "I need another drink. Anyone else?" She didn't really wait for a response as she took off for the safety of the bar.
Her heart was still racing as Gail poured herself a cold glass of water. It had to be that she hadn't been kissed in a while. That was the only explanation for why her body was reacting the way it was. It hadn't been a heated kiss, or even a particularly long one. It was sweet, and almost chaste as Holly's lips simply captured Gail's. Yet, Gail felt like she had run a marathon, what the fuck was wrong with her? Shake it off Peck, it was just a dare. Gail pulled herself together and grabbed a couple more beers for the group.
The game went on for a little while longer with the group continuing to embarrass themselves by sharing personal information and doing ridiculous dares. Gail only half-heartedly paid attention, she kept getting distracted by the heat radiating off Holly every time the other girl brushed slightly against her since they were still seated closely together. It was as the early morning sunlight started streaming into the bar that Gail checked the time and realized they needed to call it a night, or morning, whatever. Regardless, it was time to close up the bar for real.
The group tried to help put the room back together to the best of their drunken abilities as Traci and Gail completed various tasks like wiping down the bar, arranging the glasses, and counting the till after they forced their friends to pay up for about half of what they actually drank. They were both hands-down the most sober ones in the room, but then again, it had been their responsibilities to keep the bar intact and to keep their friends under control.
Gail ushered the group out as Traci locked up. While they were waiting, the boys decided to serenade the girls with a very slurred version of "Gold Digger" in response to being forced to pay their bills. Gail was hanging back from the others. She saw Frankie throw her arm around Holly's shoulders and say something into the taller girl's ear, which Gail couldn't hear over the boys' performance. She did see Holly blush and playfully shove Frankie away. Finally, the group, loudly and obnoxiously made their way over to the Mancave and Hen House.
"So Hols you crashing here or what?" Frankie asked when they reached the girls' front lawn. Somehow walking the couple of blocks had taken double the amount of time it usually did. Though that may have had something to do with the swerved paths the majority of the group were taking.
"Nah I'm gonna head back to my own, I wouldn't want Lisa to start up the rumor mill on me." The medical student half-jokingly replied. She had already gotten enough shit from her roommate when she decided to head out in the middle of the night, she wasn't looking forward to what she would hear when she got back.
"You sure? We have plenty of room," Juliet offered, while the rest of the girls chorused their agreement.
The bespectacled brunette chuckled, "Yeah, I'm alright."
"Well you can't walk alone." Chloe commented as she threw a look her roommate's way, but the blonde remained tightlipped as she surveyed the group from her slightly detached position.
"No worries, I'm a big girl." Holly started edging away from the rest of the group in the direction of her own apartment. She purposefully avoided looking in Gail's direction, her liquid confidence drying up under the other girl's intense gaze
"You're also drunk," Frankie pointed out. They had all drank way too much that night, at least that's the excuse they would all stick by when they mercilessly teased one another for months to come.
"Only a little," Holly held up her thumb and forefinger a couple of centimeters apart.
"Enough to not walk alone," Traci piped in as the sober voice of reason.
At that point, the boys started to gallantly offer to walk the medical student home, even though they had all consumed far more alcohol than the girls that night. They became rowdy as they argued about their chivalry.
"You guys do know that you don't stand a chance with her, right?" Frankie pointed out just in case they missed the whole "she's a lesbian" clue that Holly had dropped on Gail's lips earlier in the night.
"Thanks boys, but I'd rather not wake up my whole building with an entourage." Holly tried to ease the blow to their fragile egos that her friend was trying to deliver. The boys were relatively sweet, considering they were drunken, horny college kids, but the last thing she needed was an entire building's worth of comments and complaints.
"You heard the woman, go to sleep boys." Traci ordered the fellows back to their own domicile. They grudgingly headed across the lawn while still causing a raucous, effectively waking up the majority of the block at the crack of dawn that Saturday morning.
"Seriously, just stay here, Hols." Frankie tried again now that the majority of the distraction was gone. She was tired of talking; there were better things they could all be doing, preferably things inside, possibly in beds.
"Yeah you can have my bed, I'm sure I can find somewhere else to crash." Chloe remarked with her usual brilliant smile as her eyes briefly shot a look Frankie's way. The older girl barely suppressed her smirk.
"Or the couch," Traci logically pointed out, trying to take some of the sexual tension out of the group and to tamper down the undercurrent flowing through each offer.
"Or you can share someone else's bed." Frankie puckishly suggested, undeterred by Traci's redirection. Holly shook her head at her friend's obnoxiousness. Ugh, that was a poor choice, the world continued to spin a bit longer.
While the entire scene was playing out, Gail continued her silent observation.
"I appreciate it and maybe another time. But I'm going to have to study and get a lot of work done later so I'm really better off in my own bed." Holly tried again to reason with the group.
"I'll walk you." Gail finally spoke up, causing all eyes to turn her way. More than a few cocked an eyebrow too, trying to silently question the other girl's magnanimous offer but Gail's face remained impassive. She was the only other sober one there, besides Traci, and she was one of the only ones who actually knew where the other girl lived, at least that's what she was planning on telling them when they hounded her about it later.
"You don't have to." Holly quickly pointed out, not wanting to burden the other girl.
Gail just shook her head, having already made the decision. She walked over to the brunette and tugged her jacket sleeve a little, "Say good night, Nerd."
"But it's morning." Holly playfully pointed out.
"Then say good morning," the blonde retorted with a huff.
"Good morning, Nerd." Holly told the group with a proud grin as both Gail and Frankie rolled their eyes at the dorkiness of the statement. After laughing at her friends' reaction, she said a more proper goodbye as each of the girls stepped forward to hug their new playmate and to make her promise to hang out with them again soon.
After what seemed like an inordinate amount of time, the brunette was finally able to extricate herself from the others and join the blonde who was waiting impatiently slightly up the street in the direction of her apartment.
Gail could only make out bits and pieces of her housemates' chatter as they headed inside, but she was sure she was probably the main topic of conversation.
The two girls started walking together quietly, keeping a safe enough distance away from one another that they didn't bump into each another accidentally, or on-purpose.
"You really didn't have to walk me, I could've made it on my own." Holly broke the silence before stumbling slightly, contradicting her previous statement. Gail quickly moved to catch her arms, steadying her.
"Yeah, ok." Once the girl was righted, the blonde shoved her hands deep into her pockets before she was tempted to touch the brunette again.
"I think you future coppers may be a bad influence." Holly stated once they started walking again.
"How do you figure?" Gail was rather curious about what the medical student's reasoning would be for that statement.
"Well it's six am and I'm still drunk." She pointed out, punctuating the statement by poking the blonde in the arm.
"That just means we're a great influence," Gail replied with a devious smile.
Holly barked out a bright laugh. "Well I'm fairly certain alcohol has a negative impact on memory, so I have no idea how I'm going to study."
They had reached the steps in front of Holly's apartment, "You are going to take a nap and let your big brain dry out before you tackle your books. Though, I suggest drinking a lot of water and eating pancakes if possible."
"Experience?"
The blonde shrugged, "Maybe. You know if you had stayed with us I could've convinced my roommate to make you some grub."
Holly smiled and nodded but averted her eyes to the ground. There were way too many logical reasons that staying over would've been a bad idea. And only one inappropriate reason that made her really want to. But Holly brushed those thoughts away.
"She's unique." Holly wasn't sure she had ever met someone quite as enthusiastic or confident as Chloe. She had definitely not met anyone so bouncy. It was pretty hard to imagine someone like Gail living with someone like the redhead.
Gail shrugged, "She grows on you, kind of like a fungus."
"That's mean." Holly reprimanded, even as she barely suppressed a chuckle.
"I could've said worse."
"Hmmm maybe, but I think you secretly like her."
She shrugged again, "She feeds me."
"Ah, I'm noticing a theme." After all, the first thing the blonde had made her do after their first shift at the clinic was take her to eat something.
"What can I say? I'm a woman of simple tastes."
Holly nodded, she suddenly felt awkward about the night, now that she was back in front of her own apartment, reality starting to set in. She figured she should probably say something now, while she was still a little drunk rather than have to face any embarrassment when she was sober. "Sorry for the kiss."
Gail brushed off the other girl's concerns. "Don't be. You had to kiss the hottest person in the room, I would've been offended if you had chosen anyone else." It was just a little kiss between friends, no biggie.
Seeing that her friend was unconcerned about it, Holly gained back a little bit of her confidence. "I figured."
"Oh, so you did it just to protect my ego?"
"Obviously."
"Mmhmm." Gail checked the time on her phone, the sun was only getting higher and it was time to say goodbye, "Can you make it up to your place?"
"Yes ma'am." Holly replied confidently, she pulled her keys out and started playing with them.
"Alright then, you should probably get some sleep." Gail suggested and nodded towards the door of the apartment building.
"You too." Holly replied as she turned around to unlock the door. She turned back and leaned up against the doorway.
"Good night, Nerd." Gail called out as she started to head back towards her own home.
"Good morning, Danger," the brunette called back before stepping inside and leaning against the closed door. What a night.
The rest of the girls headed into the house as their blonde housemate left to walk the medical student home.
"Well I never saw that one coming." Andy stated as she waited for Traci to unlock the front door.
"What's that supposed to mean McNally?" Frankie defensively questioned the other girl's comment. She wasn't in the mood for any kind of bullshit comments, especially when Gail wasn't around to defend herself.
"Nothing, just that I've known Gail for years, I've never seen her befriend anyone so quickly." The freshman quickly realized that she was skirting a dangerous topic and the senior was still intimidating as hell, especially drunk.
The rest of the girls kept quiet, seeing the look on Frankie's face. They made their way in, and Chloe headed straight for the kitchen.
"Alright, who wants drunken breakfast?" The redhead offered as she reached her destination.
"Are you sure you should be cooking, with how much you drank?" Traci asked cautiously. They had managed to not burn the bar down, so it would be nice if they could do the same at their own house.
"Please, I once made awesome penne vodka after drinking half the bottle of vodka, and I didn't burn a damn thing," She anticipated the challenge from the other girls. But if there was one thing Chloe Price could do drunk or sober, it was cook.
"I just want sleep," Traci yawned. It had been a long week of late night studying for all of them and she had worked before the shenanigans began that night.
Juliet and Andy voiced their agreement with that one as Traci grabbed a few bottles of water out of the fridge for each of them.
Frankie hung back in the living room, keeping her mouth firmly shut. She was biding her time for the rest of the girls to leave. When the rest of them finally said good night and headed for the stairs, Frankie started towards the kitchen but Juliet caught a hold of her arm.
She made sure she kept her voice low so the freshmen didn't overhear them, "Where ya going, Anderson?"
"To grab some water," Frankie replied innocently.
But her friend wasn't fooled; Juliet and Frankie had known each other a long time, "Mmhmm, that better be all you're grabbing. Don't forget your promise."
Frankie rolled her eyes, "You act like I want the Muppet, yeesh Jules, maybe you drank a little too much tonight. I think you're hosed."
"We all are, Frankie, that's my point."
"Noted, night, Ward."
"Night, Francine, behave yourself." Frankie grimaced at the use of her real name. Her friend didn't need to warn her, she knew that she had promised not to mess with the dynamics of the house. That it was supposed to be a drama-free senior year.
"So what about you, Crankypants? Hungry?" Chloe asked as she leaned against one of the counters.
Frankie gave the redhead a long look, "I could eat." She couldn't help flirting; it was just in her nature. She flirted with everyone. It didn't mean anything.
Chloe reached into the fridge and handed Frankie a bottle of water. The older girl accepted it, but not without purposefully brushing her fingers against the other girl's. Alright, so maybe she was trying to get a reaction out of the freshman, but come on, she was still drunk.
"I'm surprised you're still thirsty." Chloe commented smugly, messing around with the senior had become quite fun. She knew the other girl couldn't resist her for much longer.
"Parched," was the only response Frankie gave as she leaned against the counter opposite the redhead.
Chloe smirked and turned back to dig through the fridge for something to make. She was rooting around the shelves, giving Frankie a perfect view of her sculpted ass.
"You know you don't have to cook." Frankie finally commented after enjoying the scenery.
"Thought you were hungry." Chloe replied without stopping her hunt in the fridge.
Frankie pushed herself off the counter and came up behind the other girl. Chloe straightened up as she felt Frankie's body mold against her, the older girl's hands resting on her hips. Frankie dropped her voice an octave, "That's not what I said."
Chloe swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry. She licked her lips, "Remind me again what it is you said."
Frankie turned the freshman around and pressed her back against the counter next to the fridge. She leaned in closer so her lips were just barely grazing the other girl's "I said I could eat."
But before they could close the barely existent distance between them, they heard the front door slam as Gail came into the house.
The brunette jumped away from the freshman like she had been burned.
Gail came around the corner and paused. She studied each girl. Frankie looked flustered but Chloe just looked like her usual bubbly self, though her cheeks were a little redder than usual. "Am I interrupting something?"
"Course not." Frankie resentfully replied. She didn't like the shrewd look on the other girl's face so she tried to turn the spotlight back onto her, "Did you get Holly home safe?"
"Obviously." Gail rolled her eyes, if that was Frankie's idea of a distraction than either she was still really drunk or Chloe was doing more of a number on her than anyone thought.
"She's fun." Chloe commented with her usual positivity, she loved meeting new people and the medical student had been super friendly, though kind of quiet.
"Mmhmm." The blonde absent-mindedly replied as she reached into the fridge to grab some water.
"Pretty too." The redhead continued, the alcohol making her usual loose lips even looser.
"Should I pass along the compliment?" Gail snarked.
"Just saying, must've being nice being deemed the hottest person in the room by her." Chloe pointed out, she noticed a little flicker of jealousy in Frankie's eyes, even as her face remained inscrutable. Too easy.
"It's not her fault she noticed how attractive I am. She's only human." Gail cockily replied before taking a sip of her water.
Frankie snorted, "You're just lucky, Holly and I have a very strict no kissing policy in our friendship."
"Keep telling yourself that, Anderson." Gail retorted before gesturing between the two, "So if I wasn't interrupting, what were you two up to?"
"I was just looking for something to make." Chloe explained and turned around to look in the fridge again.
"Good, I'm starving," Gail hopped up onto the counter and made herself comfortable. She cocked an eyebrow at the glare Frankie was throwing her way. She knew damn well she had put a halt to whatever had been going on between the two of them, but this was her chance to get even a little with Frankie for the song from the week before.
She didn't want to admit it, but Frankie realized that the interruption had probably been for the best. The effects of the alcohol were beginning to wane and she remembered that she wasn't supposed to be messing around with Chloe anyway, and she had gotten dangerously close to doing just that. Plus, it's not as if she even liked the freshman. She was perky and annoying. Even if she was fucking hot. "I'm going to bed." Frankie muttered and she left the kitchen.
Chloe watched the other girl leave with barely concealed disappointment, seemed like whatever spell she had had on the senior was broken. God, she was a stubborn one. Oh well, better luck next time.
Gail cleared her throat, drawing the other girl's eyes back to her.
"Got something to say, Roomie?" Chloe asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"Yeah, what's for breakfast?"
Nerd Champion: Does your offer still stand?
Gail looked at the message on her phone. It had been a week since the night at the Penny. A week since the dare. A week of not sleeping and weird dreams that seemed to leave Gail even more restless than before. She couldn't really remember them but she knew they were different than the ones that usually plagued her thoughts. Those always left her with a sense of dread or panic. These had her heart beating faster for a different reason.
She had seen Holly a few times at the park in the mornings, but their timing seemed to be off again, only catching one another as one was heading in and the other heading out. They hadn't really spoken all week and Gail had to bail on volunteering because Charlie needed her to cover a shift. She hadn't wanted to refuse considering her boss had decided to overlook the amount of free booze Traci and her gave away the other night. He had figured the girls would do something, but he was just happy his bar wasn't in shambles and everything on their checklist had been done properly when he showed up the next day, even if his jukebox wasn't working properly.
Gail checked the time, it was only 10am that Friday morning, and even though she didn't have class, the medical student usually did, till at least noon.
Officer Danger: Need a hooker?
She laughed a little when she got her response.
Nerd Champion: THAT and a break-up buddy
It had been over a week since Gail had made the offer but she had said it was open-ended.
Officer Danger: I suppose. Aren't you supposed to be in class?
Nerd Champion: Cancelled. You free now?
The blonde offered to meet the brunette at her apartment building after she hopped in the shower first. She showered relatively quickly but for some reason she had a hard time picking out something to wear. She felt like Frankie, standing around in her underwear looking for an outfit. She was kind of glad none of the other girls were around to question her.
She needed something casual but she still wanted to look nice. Why do you want to look nice, Peck? You're just hanging out with a friend, it's not like it's a date. Yeah, but you two will probably go out somewhere and who knows who you'll see there. Please, like you care about seeing anyone else. At that point, Gail realized how ridiculous she was being arguing with her own subconscious. She grabbed a top and her favorite pair of jeans.
Holly had already been waiting outside when Gail arrived. "Hey! I'd invite you in but I'm trying to get away from Lisa."
Gail looked at the scowl on her friend's face at the mention of the other med student, "What's she bugging you about now?"
"A lot of things." Holly muttered bitterly. Lisa had been nonstop on her case about breaking up with Jess and how much of a mistake it was. She also felt the need to constantly make snide comments about Gail and their friendship, no matter how many times she told her to knock it off. She was now on a strict ignore-whatever-stupid-things-she-said policy.
Gail guessed that was the only explanation she was going to get so she shifted gears as she felt her stomach rumble. "Alright, well I'm starving and need coffee so what do you say, Nerd, diner?"
"Sure, I'll drive."
They grabbed a booth at the nearby diner. Everyone went to it, they were 24/7 and even though the staff was relatively rude, the food was good and they served something called an Irish Float. Not that either girl ordered one this time since it was still the morning. They each ordered something to eat; Gail obviously got enough to feed two people much to Holly's amusement. After their usual jokes about each other's eating habits, the banter died down. Holly was fiddling with her silverware, which Gail had begun to learn was one of her nervous habits. So was needlessly adjusting her glasses, which she did before she spoke.
"So how does this work?"
Gail was about to ask how what worked but then she remembered that she had come over because she was supposed to be break-up buddying. "Well normally it consists of venting, drinking, and doing something cathartic. There's no particular order, although depending on the activities you choose the drinking may or may not have to wait."
"I'm not really used to venting." Holly hedged. She was usually the person that people vented to.
"Alright I'll get you started: what happened, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Vancouver happened."
"Meaning?"
Holly sighed, "We fought before I left, which wasn't a surprise. We had argued about me wanting to go when I first found out my grandfather was sick, but I let Jess convince me that I didn't need to go, that I needed to focus on school instead." The conversation on the roof that day made a little more sense to Gail. "Apparently me making the decision to just take off without even talking to her about it first was the last straw. She went off on me about me being impractical and imprudent."
Gail interrupted, "Did she actually use those words?"
"And a variety of others." Gail snorted at McD's pretentiousness causing Holly to indulge in a small smile. "I know. She didn't used to be like this, or I don't know, maybe I just didn't notice it. Anyway, I obviously left regardless of what she said. It's awful but while I was gone I realized how much better I felt being away from her."
"That isn't awful." Gail pointed out gently; she still didn't understand why someone as cool as Holly put up with someone like that for as long as she had anyway.
Holly shrugged a little sadly and started playing with her silverware again, "Yeah well, at first I thought it had just been the stress of the argument but as the week went on and I got closer to coming back, I started to dread it. It was funny cause one night I was talking to Jess on the phone and I guess my grandfather overheard me. When I got off, he told me that it seemed like I was just going through the motions and that life was too short to waste my time with someone that didn't make me happy. Of course, he was never Jess' biggest fan so..."
"He's a smart man," Gail pointed out, while mentally high-fiving Holly's granddad for helping her come to her senses.
Holly laughed, "Well I'm glad you think so, because he also told me that the friend who helped me visit him was a person that I needed to keep in my life."
"Well then I guess you're stuck with me."
"I guess so," Holly smiled one of her crooked smiles that still made Gail's stomach flip before getting back on track with her story, "Anyway, I realized on the flight home what I had to do, but I avoided Jess till Friday. Let's just say she didn't take it well." The smile vanished from the brunette's face. The truth was that Jess had taken Holly ending things horribly. She immediately accused Holly of cheating on her with Gail, which obviously wasn't true, or of at least wanting to. She had gone off about the blonde and how Holly was chasing after someone who would never want her. With each nasty, hurtful thing that came out of Jess' mouth, Holly became more convinced that she had made the right decision.
"Well, normally, I have a very strict rule that if you are the one who does the dumping, you are also the one that gets to do the celebrating. So why the long face?"
Shrugging, Holly responded honestly, "I'm not used to being the one who's doing the breaking up."
"You mean you're not a heartbreaker, I find that hard to believe." Gail scoffed, how could anyone that looked like Holly, not have broken hearts everywhere she went?
"Believe it, I'm the one who gets their heart broken." Holly replied sullenly. When she looked up and saw the skeptical look in the blue eyes she elaborated. "First girlfriend, was my roommate at the University freshman year. It lasted the semester and then she went back to her ex-boyfriend and told me I was just an experiment and that everything we had shared had been a mistake. She switched rooms when we got back from winter break. I was so devastated I thought about transferring schools, she had been one of the few friends I had because she hadn't been put off by the fact that I was younger than everyone else and taking higher level classes. But then I met your brother that Spring in Anatomy, and he introduced me to Frankie. We became friends, started going out. I ran into some upperclassmen."
"Lisa and Rachel." Gail supplemented, understanding a little better why she lived with the two girls, and was figuring out how she put up with someone as snooty as future Dr. Boob Job.
"Yep and we were in classes together since we were all premed and I was ahead in credits. Lisa became my 'lesbian fairy godmother' and kept getting me to meet people. One girl I dated for awhile but she ended up cheating on me with a mutual friend."
Gail grimaced; she had been there herself. It sucked.
"Then she introduced me to Jess. We hit it off, she was older and confident and she seemed like she was really into me. And it felt good. It was fun for a while, then it became serious and then suddenly she was breaking up with me because it was too serious and she was busy with school. It didn't last very long before she came back, saying it was a mistake and telling me she missed me and wanted me so I took her back. We dated again for a while but things were different. I was so focused on making it work and then out of the blue she dumped me because she wanted to see other people."
Gail bristled at the thought that McD thought she could find anyone better than Holly. She had been lucky the brunette had put up with her shit in the first place. But the blonde kept her mouth shut and let Holly continue on with her story.
"So I tried to move on, went out with different people but there were no sparks. You know? It became one lousy date after another, but everyone kept telling me to put myself out there and meet new people. Apparently, being single and not looking for anything wasn't allowed. And then Jess showed up again right after the school year started and it was just convenient. I thought it would be easier to just be with her, which I already knew how to do, then to keep looking for something else. It was stupid."
Gail did the math that meant when she first met the brunette she had been single. That explained the slightly flirty vibe she had gotten from her. It's too bad they weren't actually friends at the time, Gail would've told her she was being an idiot for thinking being with McD was better than being single.
"So what made you need a break-up buddy today?" Gail was curious about why Holly had suddenly decided to accept her offer.
Holly's phone rang for the third time since they had gotten to the diner. She held it up revealing Jess' name on her screen.
"Jess thinks that if she can get me to talk to her, she can win me back. She's even gotten Lisa to harass the hell out of me about it."
"And you don't want her back?" Gail just wanted to be sure before she found herself in another Andy-Luke type of situation. She hated when people did the back and forth thing a dozen times.
Holly shook her head resolutely, "No, I'm done with the drama."
She probably shouldn't have felt as happy as she did to hear that, but she did. Gail smiled mischievously, "Want me to answer it? Tell her you've moved on and if she has a problem with it she can take it up with me."
The idea of having Gail answer the phone and confirm all of her ex-girlfriend's suspicions was really tempting, but it would just lead to bigger problems, especially because she knew she wouldn't be able to avoid Jess or Lisa forever. "No, I'd rather just keep ignoring it."
They finished up eating their meals. Holly paid for them both, arguing that Gail was doing her the favor by getting her out of her apartment. Which reminded Gail that she was supposed to be Holly's break-up buddy, which meant they needed to move onto Phase II.
"Ok, now that you've vented we need to do something more satisfying. I usually suggest hitting, breaking, or shooting something. So what do you want to do?"
Holly thought for a moment, "Batting cages." She had played softball in high school and still played for intramural teams when she had the time but she hadn't been to the cages in a while. There was something extremely satisfying about hitting a home run.
Gail looked horrorstruck at the decision, "You can't be serious." She hated all things sports-related.
"Yep."
"Nope."
"Please." The brunette pouted and gave Gail her best puppy-dog eyes.
Gail could feel her resolve slipping, "Why there?"
"Jess would never go with me. She hated baseball, called it too boring."
"As opposed to?"
"Football, rugby, hockey." The brunette listed off the contact sports.
Gail's features hardened, "So she had a violent streak." She knew McD was a bully but if she found out she had ever hit Holly, she couldn't be held responsible for what she did to the ginger.
Holly noticed the change in her friend's demeanor and understood what she was implying, so she reassured her, "Only in her taste of sports."
Gail nodded in response, satisfied for now. They got into Holly's car and Holly noticed how her friend was sulking.
She shook her arm and smiled, "Come on, this will be fun. You might be the next Babe Ruth for all I know."
Gail glanced at the driver, "Isn't that a candy bar?"
"That's Baby Ruth. I'm talking about Babe Ruth."
Holly looked over but Gail gave her a blank look.
"You know the Sultan of Swat, the King of Crash, the Colossus of Clout, the Great Bambino?"
Still nothing.
Holly shook her head, "You're killing me, Smalls!"
They got to the cages and Gail could feel her awkwardness coming out already. She really was awful at sports and she put up no protest when Holly hopped in first. She was clearly a professional and Gail couldn't help watching her effortlessly hit each pitch with a resounding thwack as the ball went flying. Gail noticed the other girl's stance and found her eyes drifting to the very pronounced ass of the medical student. After nailing the last pitch in a home run, Holly dropped her stance and Gail quickly straightened up and pretended like she hadn't been gawking.
"Your turn." The brunette held out the bat and helmet to her friend.
"I don't really like do sports." Gail tried to explain again how bad of an idea this was, without sounding like a wimp. She was supposed to be a badass.
"It's not a sport, it's hitting a moving object in a controlled setting." The medical student pointed out as she put the helmet on Gail's head and forced the bat into her hand.
"It's getting locked in a cage with a bat and a ball." The blonde retorted and stayed glued to her spot.
"You said I was supposed to do something cathartic. Come on, this is cathartic." Holly stepped behind her friend and slightly pushed her closer to the plate.
"I meant shoot something."
"Come on, it won't kill you to try something new." The blonde huffed but relented and tried to mimic the way she had seen the other girl stand. When she looked ready, Holly hit the button to release the first pitch.
The ball came hurtling towards Gail, who shrieked and released the bat as she swung, sending it clattering in the direction of the other batters as she ran away from the ball.
Holly was laughing so hard she could barely speak. "Actually, it might kill you." She doubled over as laughter racked her body.
The other girl's laughter was infectious and Gail was trying hard to contain her own giggles as she covered her face even though she was still wearing the helmet. "I feel so humiliated." She started to storm out of the cage, "I told you I don't like sports. I'm leaving."
She had just made her way past the still laughing brunette when she felt strong arms tugging her back.
"Hey, whoa, wait a minute," Holly was still trying to reign in her laughter and was failing miserably, "Don't go, you have to try again."
"Try again! You're the insane one! You already almost killed me once Stewart!"
"Come on, please, you gotta hit at least one. Please, Break-up Buddy." Holly pouted but her eyes were still dancing with amusement.
It was a look that Gail couldn't resist, "My life is in your hands, Doc." And she allowed herself to get dragged back into the cage of doom.
Gail let out a deep sigh as she reluctantly picked the bat back up.
"First of all your stance is all wrong."
Holly walked up behind the blonde. Gail could feel the toned body of Holly Stewart pressed against the back of her. Holly used her legs to nudge the other girl's feet further apart and to get her to bend her knees properly. She took hold of the bat too, positioning their arms and taking a few gentle practice swings to give Gail an idea of what she should do.
"Secondly, you have to keep your eyes on the ball. That means keeping them open unless you have x-ray vision."
"You're supposed to be superman." The blonde quipped, earning a chuckle.
"Most importantly," Holly paused for dramatic effect, "Hang onto the bat, you'll need it."
"Very funny."
The brunette released her protégé and walked back over to the controller. She waited for the blonde to nod, indicating she was ready.
The ball was released and Holly shouted, "Swing". Gail complied with a resounding crack of the bat. The ball went flying and Holly started cheering.
Gail threw the bat down in victory, "I retire Champion of the Universe."
"You only hit one," Holly pointed out, though she was proud of the blonde.
"Keeping up my end of the bargain." She countered.
"Alright Champ, let me have another go and then we can leave."
"So where to next?" Gail asked as they finally finished up at the cages and made their way back to Holly's car.
"How about you pick somewhere, since I forced you to endure sports? What do you normally do?"
"Oh, I don't know if you could handle what I usually do." Gail responded cryptically.
"Of course I can." Holly replied confidently.
Gail sized up the other girl from the other side of the vehicle, "Alright then, shooting range."
"Um...no." Holly immediately regretted her cockiness. She had never been shooting and she wasn't a fan of guns.
"Umm...yes. You asked what I do."
"Clearly I hadn't been anticipating that suggestion." Although she did recall Gail mentioning shooting things a couple of times that day, but she thought she was just joking or being dramatic. "I've never been."
"What about trying something new?"
"I don't like guns." The brunette continued her protest.
"Why not?"
"They kill people."
"People kill people." The blonde corrected the misconception.
"People with guns kill people." The brunette argued back.
"People with knives do too and yet doctors use scalpels." Gail pointed out which the medical student had to concede, but she still looked unconvinced. But the blonde had no intention of forcing her into anything, "Fine, you don't have to do anything you don't want to. But do you mind hanging out while I shoot, I need the practice."
When they arrived at the range, Gail showed Holly around and explained the rules. She took apart the gun they were going to use and explained each of the pieces to her as she put it back together. Of course, the science nerd enjoyed the demonstration. Then she covered the brunette's ears with the muffs everyone wore. She told her to step back and Gail sent her target back. She called out that the range was hot and opened fire.
Holly realized quickly that the blonde really didn't need the practice. She was controlled and efficient. Emptying her clip with precision before pulling in her target. All the shots were located in a nice cluster. She briefly wondered how long the blonde had been shooting for, considering she was only 19 years-old.
"Whoa."
Gail shrugged, "This isn't my first time."
"No shit," Holly snorted. "I kind of hoped it wasn't if it was where you were planning on taking me."
Gail nodded and reloaded the weapon but placed the safety on before turning her attention to her buddy, "Sure you don't want to try?"
Holly contemplated the offer. She was still nervous but there was something in the blue eyes of the other girl that made her feel like maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea. And the other girl had been a pretty good sport about the whole baseball thing even after she humiliated herself, "Maybe just once."
Gail smiled and pulled Holly forward. She handed her the gun then stepped behind her to show her how to properly hold it. She remained positioned behind the brunette so she could aim the gun for her. Even though she warned her about the kickback, she knew how much a newbie underestimates it, so she kept her grip on the gun, covering the tan hands with her own.
"When you're ready, gently squeeze the trigger." Gail sent the target back and called out that the range was hot. She retook her position and removed the safety.
Holly held her breath and then gently pulled the trigger as she had been told. The first shot went off and she jumped but she was still in the confident arms of the other girl. Gail had helped lessen the blow back, but Holly still felt it. "Good, again."
After a few shots, Gail took a step back and let Holly finish off the clip herself.
Between the batting cages and this, the medical student was fairly certain she wouldn't even be able to lift her arms tomorrow.
They returned their gear and headed back out to the car.
Gail checked her phone for the time and was disappointed when she realized how late it had gotten, "Alright, well we're down to the drinking portion of the day but I gotta get to work. Come by the Penny?"
"Are you closing tonight?"
"Ha, if only...sadly no, I'm sure Charlie will be there. I have the 4-10pm shift. But I have to change and grab my apron and eat something."
The brunette nodded and headed back towards Gail's house. She was disappointed that the day had already come to an end. She had been having a great time and had actually not thought about Jess or Lisa all day. She had silenced her phone by the time they got to the batting cages because she was tired of the ringing.
The drive back was filled with idle chitchat about Holly playing softball and Gail doing competition shoots. Holly remembered the medals from the Peck Party and decided to tease the blonde a bit. They stopped at the house.
Holly checked her phone and noticed the missed calls and messages. The only person she had responded to all day was Frankie, but she also saw Rachel had asked her where she had vanished off to. She figured she would just talk to her roommate when she got home. Though, that meant talking to Lisa too.
Gail noticed that her friend was started to look a bit glum, kind of how she looked at the diner. "You know you can hang out at the Penny while I work, or you can stay here. I'm sure everyone will make their way there at some point tonight, they usually do." She spotted Frankie's car, "Plus, it looks like Frankie is home."
"Yeah, maybe I'll come by later, but I gotta get home. Rachel texted me and I have to drop off my car anyway. I'll see you later, maybe." Holly left it up to the blonde, since she had been the one to reach out to the other girl and instigate them hanging out that day.
"No, you'll see me later definitely. Stop by and have some drinks. Remember, I promised you drinking. Then you can go wherever you want with Rachel or you two can hang out at the Penny." Gail replied decisively.
"Alright, you win, I'll come by, promise."
"Good, catch ya later." The blonde called over her shoulder as she bounded towards her house.
"Where have you been all day?" Frankie asked as she bumped into Gail, who marched in through the front door as Frankie was coming downstairs.
"Places." Gail sidestepped the brunette on her way towards the staircase.
"With Holly?"
"Why do you ask questions when you already know the answer? You're not a detective yet, Anderson, hell you're not even a cop." Gail could tell by the other girl's tone that she already knew she had spent the day hanging out with the medical student.
"Did you two have fun? There, is that better?"
"No, cause you're still asking me questions."
Frankie narrowed her eyes at the blonde, "See, this is why Holly is nicer. I text her and she asks if I want to join you two."
"Why didn't you?" Gail asked curiously.
"Didn't want to be a third wheel." Frankie replied with a shrug. She didn't really want to have to bear witness to the two flirting all day and dancing around one another.
"Can't be when it's just two friends hanging out."
"Keep telling yourself that, Peck." The brunette replied patronizingly.
Gail smiled one of her dangerous smiles, baring her fangs, "Seen my roommate anywhere?"
"Why would I have? It's not my job to keep track of the Muppet." Frankie had been purposefully avoiding knowing where Chloe was ever since the previous week. It was better if she kept her distance.
"Just wondering, I'm hungry and hoped she was cooking." Gail replied innocently with a shrug. Though Frankie could tell that wasn't the only reason she was asking, the blonde was setting her up for something.
"Yeah, well that sounds like your problem not mine."
"No, your problem is whatever is causing you to avoid her." Gail called out the older girl for her strange behavior lately.
"I'm not avoiding anyone." Frankie refused to admit that that was exactly what she was doing. She knew Gail would tease her mercilessly if she admitted that she didn't trust herself around the redhead. Not that she understood why. Chloe Price was chipper, happy, and incredibly chatty, the antithesis of Frankie. But she was also fiery, vibrant, and sexy. Damn it, the senior girl was in trouble.
"You sure? You haven't been in the same room with Chloe for more than five minutes all week and only when other people around."
"How would you know?" Frankie asked, annoyed with the conversation and her friend's prodding.
"I'm observant."
"You're annoying."
"Feelings mutual. But luckily for you I have work. Coming by the Penny later?" Gail asked as she headed to her room to change.
"Only if you're lucky." Frankie called out as she made her way to the kitchen, glad to be away from the perceptive blonde.
Gail was about halfway done with her shift when the rest of the freshmen showed up at the Penny for dinner and drinks. Traci was working the closing shift so she had gotten in about an hour before and headed over to take their orders.
"The savages are thirsty." Traci called out as she dropped off their food orders before swinging back for the drinks.
Gail knew what she meant and poured out a couple of pitchers of beer, "Shocker."
"Thanks." It was a busy night as usual so Traci was making her way around to her various tables while Gail had her own crowd hanging out at the bar. She hadn't even noticed the arrival of the one person she was actually waiting for.
"Hey bartender!" Holly called out as she leaned over the bar counter catching Gail's attention before she grabbed a stool. Gail smiled over to her but she had to finish serving the customers in front of her before she could make her way across the bar.
Frankie dropped onto a stool right next to the medical student but didn't seem happy about it. "Why are we here? If you wanted to see Gail, you didn't have to drag me along."
"You come to the Penny all the time, why are you complaining so much?"
"Exactly, I'm always here. I want to go elsewhere."
"It's cheaper to drink here than wherever we're going to end up. So, let's have a couple of drinks then we can go wherever you want, Frankie."
"Fine," she huffed and accepted the deal. "But let's make this quick before we get mauled by the others."
Holly glanced over at the tables that had Frankie's attention; they were filled with the grumpier girl's housemates and neighbors. "I still don't get what your problem is. They're fun."
"You were drunk when you hung out with them. Try doing it sober." Frankie grumbled.
"She's right." Gail added as she finally made her way over to the two girls.
"The two of you are awful." Holly admonished them both for talking about their friends like that, even though she fully expected it from them.
"Yet, you hang out with both of us." Frankie smugly reminded her friend.
"So where's Rachel?" Gail remembered Holly mentioning the other girl before they split up earlier in the day.
"She just needed my help picking out an outfit for a date."
"Which is what we should be trying to get." Frankie advocated. Her goal that night had been to go out and find a new distraction, but Holly had dragged her to the Penny first.
"Ignore her, I don't know why she's being particularly crabby."
Gail nodded in acknowledgement before chiding the bespectacled brunette, "You're still sober, Nerd, this is going against all the rules."
"Well you were the one that promised me drinks."
"I did, any preference?"
"Surprise me."
Gail smiled and stepped away to mix the drinks. She came back with two very large, very full margaritas. It was her signature drink for a reason.
Holly took a tentative sip, "Whoa, that's good." It was strong too.
"I know." Gail replied with her usual swagger.
"It is one of her few talents." Frankie conceded with a nod, taking her own sip. Damn that was good.
"Screw you Anderson, you haven't seen my talents."
"Not for a lack of trying."
Gail was ready to shoot back her own witty retort but she was getting called by some other college kids looking to get wasted down at the other end of the bar, so she reluctantly left, letting Frankie win that round.
Holly already knew about Frankie's attempts at hitting on Gail, and that other than some drunken kissing earlier in the year, the two had become friends. It was essentially the same story as her and Frankie freshman year, and the two of them had been friends ever since, so it's not like there was anything going on between them anymore. Plus, she could tell her friend had her eyes on someone else.
"Who ya looking at?" Holly taunted her friend.
"No one." Frankie replied dismissively, taking a bigger sip of her drink.
"Does no one have red hair, a big smile, and basically spread happiness and sunshine everywhere she goes?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Hols."
"Sure you don't. It's not like you've been staring since the moment we grabbed a seat."
Frankie glared at her friend, who just chuckled but held up her hands in defeat. Holly changed the subject and they started talking about some of their mutual friends who neither of them lived with, seemed like a safer topic.
Nick had arrived later than his housemates and made his way over to where the two girls were talking at the bar. He had already seen his ex serve them their drinks and had seen the blonde smiling bigger than she ever did with anyone else. He just didn't get it. This wasn't the Gail he remembered, she barely had friends that were girls, and she had definitely not had any that were more than that. He approached the two.
"You both know she's not gay, right?"
"Seriously, Collins? What is your problem?" Frankie pierced the boy with one of her withering gazes. She couldn't tell if the boy wanted Gail or Andy, but chances were that he just wanted both of them to want him.
"My problem is that ever since she met you there have been rumors, and then she kissed her." He pointed at Holly, who didn't say anything but narrowed her eyes at the boy. When she had met him the other night he had been relatively charming, even if he did seem like he was trying too hard. Though in retrospect, asking Gail how she identified had seemed like a loaded question. She would have to ask Frankie later about why he was so invested in the blonde.
"That's probably because she's hotter than you. Go away, before you make an even bigger fool of yourself than you usually do." Frankie dismissed the boy, but he didn't budge.
Nick opened his mouth to fight back but was cut off by the arrival of Gail, "What do you want, Nicholas?"
"I was just having a conversation." The boy replied innocently.
"Doesn't look like they want to talk to you, like most people. Stop bothering my customers." Her eyes drilled holes into her ex.
"I'm your customer too." Nick reminded the blonde.
"Only if you order something." The bartender noted. Until then, he was just another body taking up space.
"Fine, can I get a beer?"
"There's beer at the tables, the others already beat you to it. So if that's what you want then go get it from them." She folded her arms and waited for him to leave or order something else.
"Alright, then how about another round?"
Gail sighed dramatically but filled two more pitchers. "There, now go away."
"Always a pleasure, Gail." Nick told the derisive girl with his usual wide smile before walking back.
"Trust me, I know." Gail called out to his retreating form. She turned her attention back to the two brunettes, "What did he say now?"
"Just his usual drivel." Frankie muttered, but Holly remained in quiet contemplation. The medical student finished off her drink.
"Now you're on the right track," Gail smiled and made Holly another drink. Holly accepted it with a small smile but before they could say anything they were interrupted again.
"Well if isn't Princess Chicken Police. I didn't know you worked here." A short brunette greeted Gail, much to the bartender's obvious displeasure.
"This night just keeps getting better." Gail muttered to herself. Jennifer Luck was one of Gail's classmates from her Criminal Justice classes and loved to aggravate the hell out of her every chance she got. "That's probably because you're too busy coming up with clever lines like Chicken Police."
"Aw, did I hurt your feelings?" She asked with a cutesy voice while pouting.
"She doesn't have feelings." Frankie deadpanned. Drawing the other girl's eyes to her briefly. She gave both Frankie and Holly a very unsubtle appraisal.
Frankie just rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her phone. But Holly's attention remained fixed on Gail and the new girl.
"What can I get you, Luck?" As much as she didn't want to, Gail knew she had to serve the annoying girl or Charlie would be on her ass about it.
"How about your number?"
Gail rolled her eyes. "Order a drink or go sit at a table."
"My friends are already grabbing a table. I came over to get a couple of pitchers."
Gail poured the drinks and gave the girl the total before asking, "What are you all doing here anyway? Don't you normally go to the bars closer to your houses." To an outsider it may have sounded like Gail was making the small talk, the truth was that she just wanted to know how long they were going to be there to bother her.
"My boy Wes is trying to get back with his annoying ex for some strange reason."
Frankie stiffened next to Holly and had to actually work to keep her face emotionless. But her grip on her drink tightened.
"Watch how you talk about my roommate, you're already pressing your luck." Gail shot the girl a menacing look. Only she was allowed to mock her pesky roommate and at least Chloe wasn't as annoying as Jen was, "That, by-the-way, is a clever pun."
"Sorry, didn't mean to offend you." Jen insincerely apologized. She noticed the look on not only the bartender's face, but also the two girls that had been talking to her before. None of them looked too pleased with her comment. She needed to change the subject, "So how are you doing in Professor Rothman's class?"
"I'm sure better than you."
"Doubtful."
"Believe what you want," Gail replied uninterestedly.
"Well then maybe we should compare notes." The short brunette wasn't done flirting with her classmate.
"No thanks." Gail pushed the beers forward again and repeated the total. She was still waiting on the money.
"I think you should change your mind, I can be an excellent study buddy." She had a lecherous look in her eyes and a smug grin plastered on her face.
"Like I said, I'll pass." Gail nodded her head in the direction of the people that Jen had come in with. "Looks like your cronies are calling for you."
Luck finally threw a couple of bills on the bar, "See you around Peck."
"You do realize she was flirting with you?" Holly pointed out when the girl finally left to join her friends.
"Well, she's wasting her time." Gail huffed as she counted out the money and threw the change into her apron.
"Why's that?" Holly asked interestedly.
"Not my type." The blonde brushed it off.
"What is your type?" Frankie asked reflexively. It had become a habit by now, not that she expected an answer. In fact, Frankie didn't even look up from the text she was sending, when she asked it.
Gail shrugged noncommittally as usual. "Not her. I'll be back."
Frankie finally looked up, and when she did, she watched as Wes approached his ex-girlfriend. He pulled her aside to talk about something. She felt an unpleasant twinge in her stomach, but she attributed it to her growing annoyance with being in the bar that night. Her phone alerted her to a new text.
"Giselle wants me to meet her at some club." Frankie told Holly who was quietly nursing her drink and stealing glances at Gail from the other end of the bar.
Holly looked over at her friend blankly, "Who?"
"Officer Armstrong. Steve and Oliver's friend from the Academy. She works for some division with like a whopping four squad cars, but she just got off her shift. Want to come?"
Holly contemplated it for a moment, she didn't really want to go to a club, she had just been planning on hanging out at the bar for a couple of hours before heading home, but as she watched some guys try to flirt with Gail she made up her mind and downed the rest of her drink. "Sure."
Gail noticed the two girls getting up from the bar, so she made her way back over. "Where are you two going?"
"Dancing," Holly answered, "I kind of need to get it out of my system."
She reached for some money, but Gail shook her head. "It's on me."
Holly smiled crookedly, "Thanks for today, Break-up Buddies forever!"
At that, Holly followed Frankie, who had only given Gail a nod good-bye, out of the bar.
Gail watched the two leave with a sinking feeling, but she didn't give it much thought as she was distracted once again by the throngs of college kids looking for drinks.
A/N: The kiss in this chapter was closer to coat room level, we haven't reached interrogation room level...yet...